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Balance of Souls: Incursion
Part 1 "How irrevokably dull", spoke a voice within the dark. The sound took up everything like a piercing screech that would shut down all other senses in order to command attention. At its source stood a woman, not uncomely in appearance, of average stature and with dark hair that seemed to glisten with a tint of blue. She dressed in armour, though the style evoked some similiarities between herself and the frozen Balancer Marshals. She looked upward at the sky, her eyes focused on the black Sun above. The only one who could see her, the only one somehow unaffected by the sheer weight of her Reiatsu had been Zetsubō Usuguraiboshi. The newborn Tsumikami looked around, clearly unperturbed, and then walked on Mamoru Nakatani's motionless body toward the newcomer. "What have you done, woman?", he asked with a hint of cheerful curiosity, absent-mindedly swinging his scythe back and forth with only one hand. "Oh?", her gaze fell on the approaching Zetsubō, only now becoming aware of his presence. Her yellow eyes examined him for a brief moment before they shifted to look at something else, as if he wasn't worth paying attention to. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to show you", she spoke before drawing the sword from the ornate sheath that lay strapped to her side. The motion of it triggered a change in the environment. They were at once bathed in an orange glow and soaked in intense heat, so too was the landscape behind them. High above the darkened Sun had started to shine, a beacon of red light as it burst into life as a roaring sphere of fire, the very sky ignited under its intensity whilst crags and crevices formed and erupted across the ground as if the entire level of Hell was ripping itself apart. The weight of her Reiatsu, that which had suffocated everything except the new Tsumikami faded in an instant. Just as a blade wreathed in flames came down upon him, with such speed that the motion had been invisible. A large gap formed between his neck and right shoulder, running all the way down to his waist, his flesh hadn't so much divided as it had been incinerated, searing ashes flowing out from behind the tall figure, the sound of sizzling flesh emanated from the wound, much of it having been cauterized instantly. Usuguraiboshi fell to his knees. Even though caught completely off-guard by the powerful attack, he did not as much as emit a single grunt, and did not let go of his nightmarish scythe. Instead, he swayed for a short while before slanting forward and supporting himself with both of his hands. Streaks of smoke were rising from the incinerated gash. "I hate fire", he remarked rather casually. Meanwhile, Hyo started to rise up from the ground, he shook his head groggily, as he started to observe his surroundings, as he did so Naoko, who was only a little ways behind him, also rose up, all signs of Jamansim's powers gone from her, she stood up, looking ahead of her at both Hyo and what was in front of him. "Hyo!", she shouted, using Shunpo to move next to him quickly, she helped her fellow Marshal up before turning back towards the spectacle they were staring at. "She's been released.", Hyo said wearily. "Hm? You're alive", said the Force-Marshal with an amused touch to her words. She went on to ignore the injured Tsumikami, stretching her muscles and flexing her joints as if aclimatizing to her new environment. With a flick of her wrist a small burst of Reiatsu, at first dark and then a more vibrant blue emerged around her. "It seems I have you to thank, Hikari Maebure..." The older Tsumikami shook his head, as if recovering from shock. He looked at the Balancers, his injured disciple and then, at the woman approaching him. "So they've been after you", he said quietly. "Your gratitude may be slightly premature", he added grimly, lifting his left hand as if signaling the Force-Marshal to halt. "Oh, and why is that?", she had halted on her path towards the being, idly curious as to what he had to say. A ways off Zhong had descended to the ground from his previous perch in the sky. He fell onto his kness as soon as he'd landed, panting heavily as his exertions and injuries took their toll. But he'd regained his mind at least. "So we were used as batteries, hm?", he contemplated, looking on at their revitalized leader. "Seems like it, doesn't it Zhong-san.", Naoko replied, she and Hyo were slowly walking towards the elderly Balancer, a tired look in both of their eyes. "Are you okay, Zhong-san?", Hyo asked quietly, he extended a hand out towards his comrade, waiting calmly. Mamoru lifted himself on his hands and stood up, slowly but surely. Even with grevious injuries, and blood on his back, abdomen and spilling from his mouth, he straightened up and began walking unhurriedly toward his peers and superior, still holding one sword in his left hand. "We have succeeded", he declared quietly. In the meantime, Hikari lowered his hand and looked around quickly, analysing the situation. Thanks to his disciple's intervention and the unexpected arrival of another opponent, he had been able to regain his senses before he got carried away. Together with Zetsubō, he would be able to beat the initial four. However, a brief analysis of the peculiar woman's Reiatsu revealed she was significantly more dangerous than any of them. So dangerous, in fact, that he could only beat her in a duel; while he had completed initial training, Usuguraiboshi was nowhere near as strong as would be required to take care of the other four in the meantime. In any other case, odds like this would only make him smirk, but this time the enemy's numerical advantage translated into advantage in power as well. Suddenly, he understood the momentousness of this event with frightening clarity. He remembered far too well what happened each time he acted impulsively in such a situation, as every memory of such an instance was eternally carved on his ripe old psyche, forever fresh and haunting. Whereas it hurt his pride deeply, he simply had to swallow it this time. Another time, whispered a familiar voice in his head. "Even though you've revealed nothing of importance, I think I know what your goal is", he replied at last, still considering the situation. "And if I'm correct, then our goals are directly opposed to one another. As such, your return is meaningless, and you'll have to witness the utter failure of your mission with your own eyes", he finished with a cold smile. "Oh? How do you figure that?", her eyelids closed down slightly showing obvious intrigue as she observed her surroundings, first the pair of Tsumikami, then her own Marshals. The fight had certainly escalated a fair bit, and she would profess, at least within her own thoughts that Tsumikami's abilities were a complete unknown to her, but that had only stopped her from steamrolling over something once before. She wouldn't let it happen that away again. "Judging by what's happened here, you, your pet, and my subordinates seem to be on fair enough terms, so I hazard to think my impending failure could be coming from you, but please, do go on", she replied, emphasizing the right words to denote sarcasm in an otherwise straight laced answer. Zhong had ignored the hand given to him, climbing to his feet of his own strength. "I feel whatever is to come, our part is about to be minimalized for a time", he stated without his characteristic malice for once, making his answer seem almost empty. Hyo lowered his hand as he too looks towards the Force Marshal, he merely stared blankly, not saying a word as he felt a chilled wind sweep past them all. Naoko sighed while she sheathed her sword, she had a look of mixed relief and discomfort on her face. "I forgot how scary she could be.", she murmured, just loud enough for her peers to hear her. Smoke ceased emanating from Zetsubō's wound, which had started regenerating, albeit the process was slowed down due to the instant cauterisation the woman's attack had caused. Nevertheless, Usuguraiboshi himself did not seem to notice either, and he gazed at her intently, motionless. Hikari noted that, observing him with the corner of his eye. "I used to be one of you", he said, calmly sheathing his sabre. "And just as short-sighted. You and your friends were nice enough to remind me of my new way, however. Heed my words, for they aren't empty promises", he continued, rising his right arm. Suddenly, his palm was wreathed with electrified energy, which then burst into a shining . The Tsumikami swung his arm and the tendril rapidly shot forward. However, it did not target any of the Balancers; instead, it wrapped itself around Zetsubō's torso. With a jerk just as swift as the manoeuvre that had preceded it, Maebure pulled his disciple toward himself and then effortlessly swung him backward in one broad motion, right into a fiery portal that unexpectedly opened a couple of metres behind him. Usuguraiboshi was thrown inside, and vanished instantly afterward. Hikari ended the abrupt manoeuvre slanted and with his knees bent, his left palm aimed at the Balancers. "Sayōnara!", he shouted with a cold smile. Before anything else could happen, a blast erupted from his hand and blew up mid-way between him and the apparent leader of his opponents. And just as the strong wind got rid off the smoke caused by the explosion soon afterward, both Tsumikami and their portal were gone. "Well that's a massive shame", she said to the air, her hand wafting away at the smoke in front of her. Deciding to waste no time on the fleeing Tsumikami, the Force-Marshal instead turned to her injured subordinates and set about a series of hand motions that summoned a series of visible but calming winds that passed over them, immediately beginning a hasty reparation of their wounds. "So, lets play catch up", she began whilst the healing process did its thing. "I know why I'm here, but why are you lot here? Did grow a conscience at the last minute?", she had started to ask, loathfully aware of how little she knew about the world around her in the present time, Naoko stepped forward, kneeling down formally. "Yamamoto's dead.", Naoko said bluntly, her face painted with visible, blatant annoyance and hatred at the Shinigami's very name, "The Soul Society has been taken over by Quincies, and they have been taking over the hollow slaying duties the Gotei did, threatening the very balance of souls itself.", she finished off, her voice surprisingly dry and bland. "Our Yushitou were broken, allowing us to escape from Muken, however, after we found out about this, w-we decided to come here to f-free you Force Marshal-sama.", Hyo said nervously, he was also kneeling down formally as Naoko had done so. "The damage caused by the Quincy appears to be extensive", added Mamoru with a polite nod, which nonetheless stood in stark contrast with the behaviour of his comrades. "It is highly advisable to act immediately. I believe we should dispose of the Quincy first, so as to halt the disruption of balance, before we act directly to fix the damage that has been already done." "Okay, back up, back up", the Force-Marshal's forearm looped around in the air repeatedly to simulate her intent to have the conversation enter a rewind. "Hyo, Naoko, stand up, you're going to give poor Mamoru here a sore neck, then someone explain what to me what a Quincy is", she watched them all expectantly, though Zhong was the first to speak up. "They're relatives to magic hunters, Humans with special abilities, this particular group have the power to slay or with the added detriment of eliminating their soul from existence, hence the current predicament", he relayed the information with his typical dryness, losing only his usual contempt for everything around him with his words. "Hm... And they have supplanted the Gotei you say? My, that is troubling", she replied with a nonchalant demeanour, seemingly uncaring for the growing instability of the spiritual realms. Both Hyo and Naoko stood up slowly, both their faces uncharacteristically serious, Naoko looked up to face the Force Marshal, brushing her hair out of the way slightly. "They power of these Quincy are lower than our power, as we were able to overwhelm their shock troopers, however, these shock troops also are quite large in number, not to mention, they seem to have lower echelon soldiers as well.", Naoko continued. "We need to reactivate our own forces to complete all the necessary tasks within the constantly decreasing timeframe", stated Mamoru. "Alright," she had acquiesced to the continued pestering of the declining balance, deciding she should at least deal with this so-called impending threat to the world's existence. "I take it more of us still yet live?", she asked working under the assumption that more than the Marshals were imprisoned in the Muken. "Yes, there is, however only a few of our subordinates have been released from the Yushito, however in time they should resurface.", Naoko replied, she rubbed her head in annoyance, the effects of Jamansim's ability, while not affecting her, still was hurting her head slightly. "Even though I command the Detention Corps, I can ascertain that my troops will actively participate in our operation", said Nakatani. "In such a dire situation, we should forget about our secondary duties and focus solely on the primary goal of our organisation as a whole." "Then lets start it right, bring them all here", her words were definitive, commanding. Were they to restore the balance of souls and oust out these Quincy, they would need an effective fighting force and a fast acting plan, as well as a lot of necessary culling in the near future to adjust that balance. Part 2 Silbern, . Early Morning. Several hours had passed since the gathering in front of the Gate of the Sun and since then the hustle and bustle of Silbern's halls had died down. The were no longer haphazardly running through out the labyrinthian castle doing whatever they could to cope with their situation, instead they had been granted specific duties, whether it be finding their newest enemy in the Balancers of Souls or preparing for an eventual attack by the Gotei 13's ancient predecessors. In one particular section of the icy fortress, the members of the Mitteilungteil loomed over various pieces of illuminating machinery, large contraptions that looked like a fusion between organisms and technology to perform the function of a computer, or a radar. Originally belonging to the and now manned by the Quincy, they were able to monitor the various spiritual realms with these machines, even peering into the . They analyzed spiritual pressure like blips on a map, the stronger it was the easier it would be to identify, as such it wasn't the most difficult task to find their enemy's readings within the lowest depths of . "Miss Byrne, you're going to want to see this", said the inquisitive Soldat that made the discovery, beckoning the Sternritter over to his station with a wave of his hand. "What is the problem?", Kerri asked calmly, she briskly walked over to the machine the Soldat was at, upon reaching him, she started looking at the monitor the Soldat was pointing at, the screen was displaying a luminescent blue glow, various charts and statistics plastered upon it. "The Balancers? Or another threat?", Kerri asked the Soldat that beckoned her. "They are the Balancers", spoke a grim voice. Karl Schwarzwald stood not far behind the female Quincy, leaning against a pillar and partially obscured by its shadow. Nobody had seen him enter the room. "I recognise one of them", he revealed whilst approaching Byrne unhurriedly. Then, he stood beside her and slanted forward, gazing at the monitor. "That guy", he pointed at the Balancer in question, nearly touching the screen. "He gave me and Brother Firepower a run for our money. Any idea what are they doing down there?", he addressed the last line to the Soldat. "Residual build up of suggests a battle took place between the Balancers, and... what seems to be , sir", spoke the Soldat. Just as he turned to face his superiors, his face was immediately drawn back to the screen as it began to light up with the blips of more and more presences. "It looks like more are being intentionally summoned to that spot, this isn't good.", Kerri mused to herself, she beckoned another Soldat who immediately came towards her and Karl. "Report this to Lord Bamshad.", she ordered the Soldat, who immediately complied, taking off in order to deliver her message. "They're probably lower level forces than what you, Anders and the others fought, however their number is admittedly quite worrisome.", she said quietly to her fellow Stern Ritter, she furrowed her brow in concern, looking at the monitor for any changes in the tiny indicators. "Scheiße", commented Schwarzwald. "There goes our numerical advantage." "Quincy have long made due with cunning and ingenuity as our only advantage", said the age old voice of Vitor Zeferino from the back of the room, the Soldat carrying word from Kerri passed by him quickly, necessitating a momentary sidestep from the elderly figure. "This battle shall be no different, young master Schwarzwald", he continued with confidence. It was a few minutes before the lone messenger could traverse the great halls of the Quincy fortress to reach Roshan's quarters. Behind the lavish double doors was a rather spartan-looking accomodation, certainly large enough to contain all manner of pretty bauble but largely left undecorated besides a few very old and dusty antiques and the required ammenities such as a dresser and bed. The Soldat spotted the blonde middle aged figure lazing about atop that very same bed, using the sheets as an oversized headrest beneath him. "Lord Bamshad, we've located the Balancers within the lowest of Hell, they are gathering allies there", the soldier delivered his report quickly, ignoring the visible cringing Roshan displayed at the title applied to him though he had little reaction to anything else. "Alright then, gather up our men in the throne room, lets see what we can pull together", the man leaped from his bed with surprising energy given his injured state and quickly led the Soldat out of the room, the two figures going their seperate ways as the door closed behind them. Part 3 Silbern, Throne Room. Morning. The large hall was filled with numerous Quincy in various forms of dress, from the clandestine outfits of the Insicht's scientists to the customized uniforms of the various Sternritter. They had scattered off across the room, huddling up into their own little groups to talk amongst each other whilst the most veteran members, Anders, Roshan, and, Vitor did the same at the far end of the room in front of the long empty throne. "Alright, the defences are taken care of?", asked Roshan with his voice low. "Yes, all of our forces have been alerted and mobilised. We are prepared to defend crucial locations, and numerous teams are patrolling the entire area", stated Schäfer. "I've tweaked my instruments a bit", added Timothy Jones. "We'll know about their presence the moment they take the first step into our territory." Meanwhile, a bit further back in the throne room, Haiiro, Kaede and Aileen were grouped together, idly chatting about the events that had transpired of recent times. "I wonder how powerful these guys really are?", Haiiro said lazily, his wounds and odd illness had finally healed, the young Quincy stretched slightly before continuing. "I mean the guy me and Kaede fought seemed to be tough, but I don't think the soldiers of their ranks would pose a threat, oh well, I guess we'll find out soon enough.", he concluded happily. "I dunno, they might just give us a run for our money", replied Kaede as she thought about it. Back with the veterans, Roshan had passed his gaze over each member as they spoke up, giving him a certain amount of reassurance in their situation. He stepped beyond his fellow elder Quincy and the room fell quiet when they realized that he meant to address everyone present. "As you guys may already know, we've had a run in with some fun hatin' folks callin' themselves the Balancers of Souls, they've taken it upon themselves to end us and restore balance to the spiritual realms", he explained rather dryly compared to his usual need to be round about and sarcastic. "They also happen to think an alliance to achieve the latter goal is beneath 'em, I know, you're all upset", he continued on. "We've gotten word that they seem to be massing within the lowermost level of Hell and will likely attack us here in Soul Society before too long, whilst we've shored up as much as we can for that inevitability, I'm not a defensive man, me, I prefer to take the fight to the enemy, and so, we need a way into Hell", he stopped there, offering no solution of his own though without directly asking a question of his gathered subordinates either. He left it to them to ponder and realize on their own. "What about the ?", asked Karl Schwarzwald, the hood of his uniform put on his head. "Shinigami used it to travel across the dimensions. Would it work?" "Sadly not.", Kerri replied to Karl, approaching the hooded Quincy as she did so. "In order to traverse the Senkaimon safely, the use of Hell Butterflies are needed, however as we're not Shinigami, the Hell Butterflies do not heed to our commands, rendering us unable to use them to travel through the Senkaimon.", Kerri explained, her voice trailing off in the large throne room as she finished. "So we can't rely on the Shinigami's technology then.", Haiiro said aloud, the young Quincy looked as if he was deep in thought before finally giving off an expression of defeat. "How about some kind of spell? There are spells we have that allow us to go to other dimensions after all.", Haiiro suggestion, shrugging as the mass of Quincies looked towards him. "In this case, Gintō would be unreliable", rebuked Vitor. "Hell is not connected to the that link the Human World and Soul Society, nor does it share a link with the spiritual pathways that lead to , our spells would be useless unless we figure out just what hides behind those skeletal gates", he continued so as not to brook a request for explanation. "Such a pity", came the effeminate voice of an Arrancar at the back of the room. "I had been experimenting similarly, only with the Shinigami's , thus far I had been able to replicate a spell that allows them to leave the Hell dimension as they wish but not enter it", he explained a bit of dramatic flair here and there as he went on. Timothy kept stroking his beard in the meantime. He tapped his index finger on the chin a few times, and then moved slightly. "Maybe...", he started, hesitating. "Maybe we could help?", asked a deep, disembodied voice all of a sudden. Two very tall figures clad in black, hooded robes emerged from the shadows in between the pillars that no one had paid attention to earlier, and calmly walked toward the Quincy before halting several metres from the closest of them. The stranger at the front, slightly shorter than the shadowy giant looming behind, looked around at the perplexed Wandenreich members, his face obscured from their sight. "I might be able to help you with this predicament", continued the intruder. The entire hall, save Vitor and Roshan, all reacted as one would, turning towards the intruders they all got into their stances, some even summoning their Quincy bows and drawing their Zanpakutō's. Due to the abruptness of the stranger's entrance, Kerri jumped at their appearance, which subsequently activated her powers, causing her sleeve to sporadically start a small fire, she quickly beat out the fire with her hand before cautiously approaching the figures. "First of all who are you? Also, how would you be able to help us?", she said in a serious manner. "Well okay, steal the boss' job while he's right here Kerri, way to hurt his feelin's", said Roshan jokingly. Vitor turned to him with a squinted look of annoyance given the blonde man's lack of caution in the situation and his current state. The cloaked man hesitated for a moment, baffled by the odd behaviour of the Quincy. However, he quickly regained his composure and turned to Byrne. He took off the hood and revealed his ashen, scarred face and medium-length jet black hair. His scarlet eyes were fixed at the young woman. "I am Hikari Maebure", he introduced himself. "And this is my disciple, Zetsubō Usuguraiboshi", he added shortly, tilting his head at the man standing silently behind him. "We're both denizens of Hell, and we both happen to know how to get there easily." "Being a denizen of Hell is believable, and so is the fact that you would be able to traverse to hell is also believable, what isn't believable however is the fact that two denizens of Hell would co-operate with anyone unless they were planning to betray them afterwards.", Kerri retorted sternly, ready to retaliate at the two at a moment's notice. "It would be a little strange for some of Hell's inmates to show up here without some kind of ploy", agreed Kshatriya. "What would you guys want in return if we did take your help?", she continued, asking the question that surely filled the minds of prospective acceptors. Anders was glaring at the intruders with an intimidating frown. Aileen squeezed her Quincy cross in her right hand, ready to summon her sonic weapon at the slightest provocation. Karl was baffled that he did not notice them much earlier than everyone else. Timothy kept waving his miniature radar dish at the Sinners, trying to comprehend why were they emanating about as much Reiatsu as the pillar beside them. Hikari glanced at the numerous Wandenreich members gathered in the room. He narrowed his eyes slightly when his gaze fixed at Schäfer for a few moments, then looked back at Kerri. "Naturally, I didn't expect you'd trust a stranger", he said with a wry smile. "Particularly such a shady one like myself. However, it happens that the Balancers of Souls are also my enemies. We both want to get rid off them, but from what I gather, it would be extremely difficult if we tried separately. As such, why not join forces?" Outwardly laid-back, he was slightly anxious inside. It had been a while since the last time he was in the presence of such a great number of powerful beings. He had to be careful. "I offer my abilities and knowledge of Hell in exchange for your Reishi manipulation techniques. We may work together to defeat the common enemy, and now that you know you have something I desire, you shouldn't be afraid I could betray you." Kerri narrowed her eyes slightly, however, before she could reply Haiiro, who had drawn one of his Seele Schneider upon Hikari's appearance, abruptly cut in. "What I would like to know is how an entity such as you, who is obviously powerful enough to get by us undetected, would need our techniques.", he said with an unnaturally stern look printed on his usually jovial face. "I agree that it requires some explanation", replied Maebure with a nod. "You see, I specialise in Kidō. Your ingenious techniques of Reishi manipulation would substantially facilitate my progress in mastering the art. And progress is of great importance to me." "Only Quincy have the ability to do so, to manipulate it as we do you would have to become one of us", said Vitor with some obvious displeasure regarding the idea. "As it happens, short of surprising us all and turning into a Hollow to devour us, the only way to make someone who isn't a Quincy into one would require a piece of 's soul", butting in was Roshan, who had finally stepped forward amongst the cautious group of Quincy within the room. "The old man is dead and gone, but we have a method of both retaining and distributing what remains of his soul, you help us and I see to it that you are given one such fragment and instructed in our methods", bargained Roshan with a serious look to him as if to make clear that he wasn't joking around. Hikari stroked his chin, and then nodded. "It's a deal", he stated after a short while. "I suppose we might now continue the discussion of your plan together." "Lord Bamshad! You're being too rash!", Kerri exclaimed, her shock of Roshan actually accepting Maebure's helping causing her already smouldering sleeve to spark slightly, ignoring it she pointing at the other figure. "Even if this deal is not some sort of trap, I doubt that the other denizen will allow himself to go unpaid either.", she explained in an urgent fashion. Though she had ignored it, the hulking automaton that was HK-105 placed a hand on the sparking sleeve, squashing any possibility of a fire starting under its cold steel appendage. The Quincy regent visibly cringed as usual at the woman's words, already aware of the other being but not taking it into account as Kerri had been, after all a king did not negotiate with another over menial tribute to his knights. "We'll toss him some a' those jelly filled donut-riceballs the Einsicht boys cooked up after hours", he offered sarcastically. Vitor tapped his cane on the ground to gather everyone's attention, an accompanying cough to clear his throat following not far behind. "Anyway, we had plans to strike at the Balancers whilst they gather their forces in Hell, but we lacked the means to gain entry, we would assume that you could grant us this?", said the elder with his gaze focused on the two outsiders. "Don't mind Usuguraiboshi-kun", said Hikari, replying to Kerri's remark first. "He's indebted to me, and he doesn't need personal remuneration." The other Tsumikami stepped forward without a warning, prompting Maebure to glance at him with the corner of his eye. Then, Zetsubō lifted his right hand outstretched to the side, exposing his pale, scarred arm with sinewy muscles. "Enkaiō Sakeme", he declared gravely with a raspy voice. Blue flames burst into existence a couple of metres above the Wandenreich members, quickly assuming the oval shape of a fiery portal. There were chains inside, and its interior was almost uniformly crimson. "This is our means of travel", explained Maebure, now addressing Vitor. "Are there any adverse affects to this means of travel?", Kerri asked after shaking HK's arm of her sleeve, despite everyone else being more relaxed, she couldn't help but be skeptic towards the two Tsumikami. Meanwhile, Zetsubō lowered his hand and leant forward in an ominous manner again. However, the portal he had summoned remained suspended in the air. "I think that the technique itself is perfectly safe", replied Hikari. "What would be problematic is the Hell's Miasma. People like me and my disciple thrive on it, but it's poisonous to outsiders like you." "Its less poison and more like failing parole", joked Roshan, well aware of the effects of Hell's toxic air. "That said, it is dangerous, so you kids can feel free to opt out of this one, I want a show of hands, who's up for braving the Ninth Circle?", he asked, his viridian eyes examining the crowd. Amala and Kaede were the first to do so, stunted by mechanical slowness was HK-105. "Fire and brimstone is right up my alley, and I've been dying to set someone alight", Amala sported a teething grin, exuding excitement. Not far away Kaede had changed her look as well, her determination having become clear in the unwavering raise of her arm. "I shall go with you", declared Anders solemnly. "Our enemies have to be destroyed forthwith, no matter the risk involved." "I'll go too", added Karl. "Not really keen on visiting Hell, but my abilities may be useful." "I s'ppose you'll need my equipment as well", stated Timothy, glaring at his mechanical creation. "Pass", said Ho-jin, looking to the side. "I shall play them the song of my people", declared Aileen with a wry smile. "I don't like the thought of being poisoned again, but Kaede wouldn't stand me passing, it would ruin her perfectionism.", Haiiro jested, raising his hand while chuckling mischievously. "I shall join this team also.", Kerri stated positively, putting her suspicions of the Tsumikami behind her as she raised her hand. "Now that's a turn out I like to see", said Roshan before his eyes turned to the demonic beings in the middle of his court. "How 'bout you and Lurch, either of you want to do more than act like a bellhop?", he questioned with lighthearted jabs. "Much to my regret, after the recent skirmish with the Balancers I've been left somewhat drained", replied Hikari. "However, Usuguraiboshi-kun is in near-perfect shape, so he'll be able to assist you." "I will go", confirmed Zetsubō with a slight nod. "Right, as I assume the Balancers are expecting our counter attack and think that we will fight in a similar manner to before, so how will we organise ourselves this time?", Kerri asked as she folded her arms in thought. Vitor tapped his cane on the ground in response, making it clear to anyone who could hear the echo that he was the one to reply. "Don't be so sure young mistress, we should not assume that they know we plan to strike, they have no way of knowing that we have their location", he spoke, though he wasn't going to rule out that the Balancers had prepared measures just in case, after all one did not get to live 2,000 years or more without a healthy dose of paranoia. "Anyway", interrupted Bamshad. "I'll be sending a few of you down, with Lurch here as your guide, the goal is to hit the lowest floor of Hell as quickly as possible and then hit the Balancers as hard as you can, don't give them a moment to think or retaliate, as soon as they try, you come home, alright?", he spoke as if he was giving a run down on just what strike teams were rather than any specific tactic that they should've been employing. "As for who gets the dubious honour of goin', Tim, you and the Iron Giant can be the leads for this one, Girado, Kaede, Haiiro, and, Kerri, you get to be their cheer team", he hadn't given them a dismissal along with their assignment, but many of them took it as such and the assigned Sternritter left the room, the towering Tsumikami and effeminate Arrancar not too far behind. "Anders, I want a defense line across the 30th Rukongai districts, use anyone here as you see fit for the job". The veteran Sternritter hesitated for a moment, but then he stroked his chin and nodded slowly after a short while. "Frau Abandonato, Frau Vargas, Frau Kshatriya and Herr Kwon", he said following a brief consideration. "Aw, crap", muttered the Korean Quincy. "Well, its not fire and brimstone, but its somethin'", Amala commented. "It'll be such a shame that we make the homes of the Souls into a battlefield though", said the Latin woman with a pang of regret. "You shall take large detachments of Soldat each, and establish outposts in each of the four districts. I will coordinate the defence as a whole. Follow me, we shall discuss the details en route", he stated, marching out of the room. Part 4 Silbern, Inner Halls. Morning. "Well, Timothy, you're the boss for this, what's the plan once we enter Hell?", asked Kaede, loud enough that the whole group present would be able to hear within the pristine white room. "Depends", replied the cyborg Quincy after a short while. "How far can this Enkaiō Sakeme technique bring us?", he asked, addressing the hulking Tsumikami standing beside him. "To the Limbo", replied Zetsubō in his typically grim manner. "We will need to wait a moment before we will be able to enter the Ninth Circle. The will assault you", he added almost as an afterthought. "That might be troublesome", determined Jones, nodding. Then, a frown appeared on his forehead. "But what about you?", he asked, slightly surprised. "They know better", stated Usuguraiboshi. Kerri narrowed her eyes, giving the denizen of hell a steely glare, despite her not liking how Maebure worded himself, the almost silent nature of Usuguraiboshi concerned her more so. "How long will these Kushanāda take in finding us?", Haiiro asked the imposing figure that was Zetsubō, his eyebrow cocked in curiosity. "A while", replied the Tsumikami. "Faster than it takes to use the portal again, right?", Timothy demanded a clarification. "Yes." Jones nodded and turned to his fellow Sternrittern. "It seems we're gonna need to hold our own there fer some time. We oughta stay put and try not to attract too much attention. Once our friend here is able to summon the portal again, we'll jump to the Ninth Circle and sneak attack the Balancers", he said, scratching the back of his head. "Ready to commense operation", said HK flatly. "Hm, yes, like the automaton said, we should ready ourselves to head out", said Girado as he decided to apply himself to the ongoing conversation of his Human and mechanical counterparts. His utterance drew Zetsubō's attention so overtly, that the others could not help but notice it. Timothy glanced at the Tsumikami, then at the Arrancar ally, and back at the Tsumikami. "Something's wrong?", he asked, hesitating a little. "No", replied Usuguraiboshi plainly, his voice expressing about as much emotion as HK's. "Enkaiō Sakeme." The fiery portal of blue and crimson suddenly sprang into existence a few metres above him. Then, the Tsumikami jumped into the air and disappeared into the portal right afterward. "Uhm, he doesn't fool around, does he?", commented Jones. "We shouldn't trust him as much as we are, he could be easily lying to us.", Kerri said anxiously, "However we better follow him in there for now.", she finished in a defeated manner, following the Tsumikami into the red void. "Let's get going, don't wanna be left behind do we?", Haiiro asked the rest of the Stern Ritter as he approached the portal also. "With you as always", replied Kaede, grabbing her fellow Quincy's arm and leaping into the portal, using her strength to pull Haiiro with her. "This ought to be a fun practical experiment", Girado mused to himself as he entered behind them. HK closed in on the portal, but did not enter on his own, instead awaiting Kerri and Timothy to approach, his singular eye observing the red and light aura of the gateway. The cyborg Quincy stared at the portal for a while, the goggles replacing his eyes gleaming faintly. "Seems to be safe", he remarked with a shrug, after which he jumped inside with surprising agility. The collective of beings were deposited unceremoniously into the upper atmosphere of Hell, their descent slowed and then effectively halted by the various powers that their races afforded them. The landscape of level was largely unusual. A sprawling landmass that stretched on for an eternity, its floor was blue and the only objects to occupy it were large blocks of white, formed in all different widths and heights. From their height it was difficult to see, but the presence of Togabito could be made up across the area, so too could the wardens of the dimension, gargantuan creatures that simply walked through the various block structures to get at their sinning charges. "The Reiatsu here... its so... mangled", Kaede stressed out, feeling the strange and claustrophobic spiritual energy that assaulted those newly entering the Damned realm. "Uh oh, Kaede's gonna flip.", Haiiro jeered, snickering as he also looked upon the vast expanse of despairing Togabito. "It's to be expected I guess, it is hell after all.", Kerri replied to Kaede's comment, completely ignoring Haiiro's joke as she too felt the irregular Reiatsu that was surrounding them. "The density of Reishi is unusually high", noted Timothy. "Means plenty of ammo for our spiritual weapons. Anyway, we oughta stay here for a...", he hesitated. Without a warning, a massive silhouette emerged from a relatively nearby block, prompting a group of Togabito to run in panick. The muscular giant with a skull-like head followed them for a short while, emitting a distinct hum in the process. However, it then stopped and turned directly toward the team of Quincy, fixing the gaze of its shining red eyes at the intruders. "...shit", finished Jones. Silently, Kaede's hand moved behind her and withdrew a wooden line rule that promptly slapped Haiiro on the back of the head before being replaced in its previous position, the female Quincy saying little on the matter, though the stress marks under her laugh lines made it obvious she wanted to. "Tsumikami-san, how long must we hold out?", asked Girado, his vibrant Reiryoku wings having just burst into existence behind him. HK observed the Hell warden silently, doing little to stop its potential advance or offer advice on the situation. Timothy aimed his bionic left arm at the giant creature. Its hand quickly split and re-assembled itself into a multi-pronged barrel, and two arcs retracted from his forearm, together assuming the shape of a futuristic crossbow. However, he refrained from firing it for the time being. The Kushanāda took a step toward the Quincy, quaking the blue pathway they were all standing on in the process. Meanwhile Zetsubō, who had until then been standing a few metres from the group, staring in the opposite direction, turned around swiftly and began walking slowly toward the monster. He passed by Girado, who somehow was even taller than the grim Tsumikami, and then halted abruptly. The Kushanāda took another step forward, but then its gaze moved to Usuguraiboshi. The giant guardian of Hell appeared to hesitate at his sight. Zetsubō lifted his right hand outstretched to the side. Suddenly, something burst forth from the sleeve of his black coat and split with a metallic sound: within a moment he summoned a large, spiky scythe. He grabbed it with both hands and aimed its lower end at the Kushanāda's head. The giant itself straightened up and took a step backward, but it was too late. The large spike at the bottom of Usuguraiboshi's weapon shot forward, attached to what seemed to be a constantly elongating spinal cord. It struck the massive creature's forehead with the speed of lightning, cracking its surface around the puncture. Then, a crimson electric current travelled across the cord's length in the blink of an eye, and the next moment the back of the Kushanāda's head exploded violently from within. The guardian's gleaming eyes faded away. Zetsubō yanked the cord with great force, prompting the Kushanāda to crash down upon the blue pathway. Right afterward the spiky end detached from its target and swiftly returned to its position at the lower end of the Tsumikami's scythe. "It didn't notice me", he said. Shortly afterward he emitted a short series of raspy, intermittent sounds, which with a healthy dose of imagination could be interpreted as a chortle. "It seems so.", Kerri said darkly, her eyes fixed upon the Tsumikami, as if she was trying to decipher the being thoroughly. Haiiro in the meanwhile, looked around as he idly spun one of his Seele Schneider's around his finger, yawning briefly as he rubbed the portion of his head that Kaede hit with her ruler, despite his outwardly lax demeanor, the young Quincy was ready to spring into action at a moments notice. The Kushanāda slumped down atop the blue path, the stonework somehow withstanding the massive creature's weight despite its thin and weak-looking structure. "Remind me never t-", Kaede started, apparently awed by the might of the masked Tsumikami, though she was cut off by HK-105. "It still functions", the mechanized being warned, its singular eye glowing with intensity as its focus loomed on the giant warden. True to its words, the Kushanāda's eyes reignited within its damaged skull, its muscles tensed as it pressed down on the pathway and started its ascent. Before it could get far though, Girado had drawn his sword, a lavender orb forming at its tip whilst he pointed it just in front of the creature, the orb then erupted into that vaporized a part of the walkway, causing it to collapse beneath the Kushanāda at last. The beast was swallowed by a black pit and a seemingly eternal drop though it made no noise of its own, perhaps failing to even recognize the danger. Atop four large blocks that had surrounded the damaged area, more Kushanāda appeared, seemingly climbing out of the blocks. "Oh, bother...", Girado spoke, bemoaning the results of his effort. "They're stronger", mused Zetsubō, who did not seem alarmed by the unfavourable turn of events. "Assume a defensive formation", commanded Timothy, his composure wavering slightly. "HK, activate your combat protocols", he added, aiming his mechanical weapon at one of the new Kushanāda. Haiiro broke off from spinning his Seele Schneider, letting it rest in his now summoned bow, the blue glow of the sword arrow glinting on the metallic frame of Haiiro's pentagon shaped bow, he fired the Seele Schneider at one of the many Kushanāda approaching the group, the blade reeling straight at the giant's skull like head, the blade of the Seele Schneider sank deep into the Kushanāda's head, sparking with a plume of blue Reiatsu as it connected, however, the Kushanāda completely ignored it, continuing it's approach towards the group, Haiiro, undeterred, started pelting the beast with a barrage of Heilig Pfeil's in the hopes of slowing it down for the rest of his team to react accordingly. The Hell warden pushed onward, ignoring the oncoming spiritual arrows as they pelted its front, it simply pushed off of the ground and began moving into the air towards them. Meanwhile, HK, having followed his creator's instructions opened its cloak to reveal its massed armaments, a series of missiles formed of Reishi launching from specific tubes continuously at the creature. They impacted, but the force of the explosion did nothing to push it back, the injuries it had sustained seeming little more than artificial. "Isn't there a way down to the lower levels manually? I would suggest we not stay here long", inquired Girado of his allies. Timothy followed up HK's barrage with an attack of his own, showering the same monster with a hail of mildly explosive energy bolts constantly spouted by his miniature rotary cannon-crossbow hybrid, but to no avail either. "Darn, those are some big, tough mofoes", he murmured. Zetsubō silently observed the futile efforts of his allies for a while, and then turned toward the Arrancar. "We can jump down", he stated with a slight shrug. Kerri, who had still not assited her allies, opting to observe Usuguraiboshi instead of fruitlessly deal with the Hell Guardians, stepped forth, he arms crossed. "I don't see how that would help much, it would buy us a couple of seconds at most.", she objected, "Plus there's the fact of the lower levels becoming more dangerous.", the young Quincy added, she narrowed her eyes, waiting for the Tsumikami to respond to her. Meanwhile Haiiro was dodging the Kushanāda's gigantic hand, the giant, despite the amount of firepower that the trio of Quincies had unloaded in it, the Kushanāda had reached them and was in the middle of attacking them. Haiiro, just barely dodging another swipe of the titan's hand, retreated back to where Kaede was standing. "Oi Kaede, when we get back, remind me that I need to make a more powerful attack.", Haiiro said to Kaede, despite his attempts to stay cool headed, a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead and his mouth was shaped into a small grin. "I don't think power matters much here, Haiiro", replied Kaede, jumping back with him as another swing flew in from the creature. She hadn't bothered to summon her spirit weapon, seeing the fruitless efforts of her comrades having no effect. "Well you may wait if you like, I'd rather not be crushed at this moment", replied Girado to Kerri, he hadn't bothered on waiting for a consensus on the situation, his wings of Reiryoku simply continued to beat in motion as he took to weaving his way through the Kushanāda and the great white block structures that hid behind them. Usuguraiboshi stood motionless, gazing at the guardian reaching toward him. Soon the giant hand approached him and the fist clenched on him. Suddenly, though, the Tsumikami seemed to "slide" into existence right above the Kushanāda's head, on top of which he landed softly. "Follow me", he uttered in a raised voice toward the struggling Wandenreich members. Afterward he simply hopped down, past the blue pathway suspended in the air, and proceeded to descend toward the thick shroud of yellowish clouds below. Kerri, who had used Hirenkyaku to dodge the Hell Guardians hand, hesitantly followed suit, jumping into the yellow clouds also while Haiiro looked up at the where the Tsumikami had just been, sighing as his face showed signs of slight disappointment. "Let's go then Kaede.", he said to his partner as he followed Kerri into the abyss below. "Bah, this is going to get horribly stupid, I just know it", she complained, following her counterpart into the abyss. "This is only gettin' better", remarked Timothy sarcastically. "HK, disengage and follow me!" The cyborg Quincy ceased his meaningless cannonade and evaded the Kushanāda with competent use of Hirekyaku. Then, he jumped off the blue pathway after a moment's hesitation. Meanwhile, Zetsubō was speeding through the shroud of yellow clouds, calm. After a few seconds he suddenly found himself in relatively clear air. A vast ocean materialised far below, dotted with numerous rocky islands of varying sizes interspersed across it at random locations. The Tsumikami began manoeuvring with slight motions of his body, changing his trajectory with skill that made it obvious he had done that numerous times before. He was descending toward one of the larger islands, shaped like a water lily. The formation was mostly hollow inside, with the skeleton of a fallen Kushanāda impaled on a titanic pole within. Usuguraiboshi altered his trajectory slightly to avoid it. " ", he whispered once he was close to the island. A ball of blue energy appeared below him, sprouting six ropes that attached themselves to the skeleton and the inner rim of the stone water lily, creating a cushion of flexible spiritual fabric. The Tsumikami landed on it rather softly, without much difficulty despite his previous momentum.